Distant Memories
by AngelicSerenade
Summary: As I fight, I will tell you my story from the bitter beginning to the bitter end... Well its what i think happened in his past


Distant Memory

Summary: As I fight, I think of my parents. I will tell you my story from the bitter beginning to the bitter end... Follow Kung Lao's journey and his life...based on Mortal Kombat 9... Well his storyline's in there with a few little extras :)

My screeches filled the room as I could hear my mother, Karen, crying. Her midnight black hair was wet with her own lightly scented sweat as she was giving birth to me, the first son in the family. My father looked on with a look of happiness on his face and that he saw the short black haired brown eyed bundle of joy that was me...

"It's a boy, thank the Elder Gods it's a boy" my father, Kain, announced. I was wrapped up in a white sheet and my mother held me close with all her remaining strength. She looked at me with brown eyes and I opened my eyes to see her. My father came closer to me and I could see him as well. He had a drawn chin and short spiked black hair and brown eyes and all he had on was simple dark blue pants with a red waist sash.

My father always said that I was a fighter like he was, although my mother hushed him thousands of times. She was lying on the bed and wearing a dark blue kimono dress with pants and sandals. Her hair was long and held up with a simple red bow with chopsticks for decoration. She slowly sat up cross legged on the bed and laid me in the nook between her legs so the duvet cushioned me on all sides.

Then a flicker of lightning appeared and the almighty Thunder God Raiden appeared before us. My parents bowed before him as he was such a powerful and godly presence. He had shining white eyes and white and blue robes to match. He came close and examined my frail form,

"This is the child that will participate in Mortal Kombat when the time is right" said Raiden. Mother had a look of concern on her face,

"Almighty Raiden, we haven't named the child yet" she said as she shielded me with one arm,

"Then let us call him Kung Lao, almighty warrior of future Kombat and also the name of a great and honourable ancestor" bellowed Raiden as he disappeared. Father knelt down beside mother and stroked my face,

"You are strong, Kung Lao. Do not give up" whispered my father.

I remember that I used to have a not-so normal childhood. I wasn't sent to a mainstream school like all the other kids, moreover I was homeschooled by my father in our house upon the hill, close to the Wu Shi academy. Instead of teaching me the normal stuff like English and Maths, he trained me to be a warrior in the so called Mortal Kombat tournament. I was told stories of how my father bested Goro once and my mother watched as blood spilled from the muscular shokan's body. I remember a lot of my childhood. Most of it was happy and joyful.

But when I turned 13, things got bad. Our home was invaded by an army of Tarkatans. In case you didn't know, they were mutants who had the statures of humans except their mouths were large and housed huge pointed yellowing teeth. They also had extending blades coming out of their arms and bright snake like eyes. Our home was set on fire and father had to hold off the hoard, while mother got to safety, with me in tow. I watched in horror as father was stabbed in the chest and blood poured out of the wound. My mother shielded my eyes so I could not see what was unfolding. Father had sacrificed himself to save us. Mother's tears were flooding down onto my black spiked hair.

With father gone, mother had to raise me on her own. She consulted Raiden for help and that we could stay at the academy as we had nowhere to live. I met and made friends with Liu Kang. He was slightly older than me by two years and had slightly longer black hair held with a red sash and was only dressed in simple pants. He said that he was left on the doorstep as a baby and adopted by the monks. Since then he had been training hard for the tournament. We stayed best buddies and spent every day together, a brotherly bond formed between us quickly.

When I turned 18, I was given a present from my mother, my dad's bladed hat. She said that father gave her the hat and told her to give it to me when I had come of age. I admired the wide brimmed accessory, custom with razor sharp bladed edges and with a scarlet red sash upon the top of it. It reminded me of father although he never had the thing on.

I ended up training with Liu one day and when I threw the hat for the first time it came straight back to me on top of my head and then something else happened. I ended up teleporting due to my father's gift. I focused myself as I disappeared in a windy flash and dodged Liu's fireballs and bicycle kicks. I reappeared behind Liu and surprised him. He was shocked about my hidden power and we man hugged. "Just like your father" Liu commented. I blushed at that remark.

For the next two years, I trained intensely on getting into the Mortal Kombat tournament. My mother always told me to keep safe and watch my back in case anybody thought about grabbing me from behind. I listened to her words of wisdom and I practiced with Liu. His power was getting stronger along with mine and every practice fight we did, my mother was there to cure our wounds.

But one day my mother wasn't there to help us. She had gone and nobody knew where she was. I stayed with Liu as we heard the news from Raiden, that she was kidnapped and killed. The only thing I have left of my mother was the gauntlets that she kept of my father. I couldn't believe that both my father and mother were gone; I had no family except for the monks and everyone in the academy. At the memorial, I attempted to stay strong for both my parents and as I lit an incense stick near a photograph of my mother and father, I felt my emotions swell up. Luckily, Liu was there to support me. My best friend, close as a brother...

Now at my prime of 24 years, I have mastered the shaolin ways. I have become stronger, faster and powerful. The spirits of my father, mother and my great ancestors from moons ago will guide me and this is what drove me to enter the Mortal Kombat tournament...

I was outside the academy wearing a black vest with two silver raging dragons on it, a teal blue gold rimmed sash over the top which was secured in place with a silky red sash going around my waist and black pants when I heard the news. Liu Kang was selected by the Shaolin Monks instead of me to be represented for the tournament. I was shocked, that all my training had been gone to waste. I was equal to Liu in terms of speed and agility but he had fireballs to throw, I had a hat that returned to me... I leant on one of the fences and let the calm winds brush against me. How was I planning to enter without anybody knowing? The idea sparked in my head and I just hoped that it would work...

I made it to the temple and disguised myself as a guard to get in. It was simple enough, I just waltzed in there and nobody took any notice. I was quickly fitting in and noticed that Scorpion, spectre of the Netherrealm's, was the next opponent, till Raiden decided to get close to me, too close for comfort if you ask me. He seemed to know who I was behind the large dragon like mask that covered my face. Mind you he isn't stupid and I mentally cringed...

"I know it is you Kung Lao. The Shaolin Monks chose Liu Kang to represent your order in this tournament" said Raiden. I didn't like that remark so I counter argued,

"I am Liu Kang's equal!" I replied, seemingly annoyed by that little comment, mind you I am equal to Liu in terms of ability but chose Liu over me possibly for the hot factor.

"That remains to be seen" said Raiden. Now I was annoyed! A feeling of anger rushed through me and I decided that enough was enough!

"Watch and see" I sneered as I discarded my disguise and made it to the arena,

"I accept the challenge!" I shouted. I knew Liu Kang was watching me along with the other participants and boy was he shocked,

"Kung Lao" he mumbled under his breath as I had my hat on my head and span it so the sunlight would make it glitter,

"Never mind the Lin Kuei, now you face a Shaolin" I said with determination peppered in my voice. This was my first proper fight and my parents would be proud of me, stepping up to a spectre like Scorpion. It was when he made a disgusting remark that he started to overpower me,

"You will pay for your repulsiveness!" he sneered as he kept knocking me to the floor and hitting me hard. After a while I was panned out, tired and rather beaten up. Then I heard Scorpion say something which broke my heart and soul in two,

"You are not yet a warrior"

Liu Kang rushed over to me along with Raiden and I felt Liu Kang attempt to get me out of there. Raiden's comment shook the very soul of my heart. All my efforts to try and win were fruitless and as I was getting healed up, I realised something. That I was always the one to jump into things carelessly without a second thought for the consequences.

I was forced to watch Liu Kang rise to glory; my glory was taken from me. My hard work, my training, brought to tatters. But deep inside, I was glad for Liu, when he defeated Shang Tsung; I congratulated him despite my hint of bitterness and jealousy I had for him before. I had supported the guy all the way through but that one battle just brought my fighting to a standstill, like a prim stallion halting due to a rockslide blocking its way.

The next day was his ceremony and I was so determined to look my best. I saw an outfit hung up in my room and it was my father's outfit. In case you didn't know what it looked like, it was a black silky shirt lined with silver on all sides with a row of silver square things down the middle and two silvery dragons on opposite sides. This was accompanied with a red waist sash which also held two side sashes and in the middle of it was a silver dragon plate. Below that was a flap of the same black silver lined stuff that my shirt was made of and dark blue slight puffed pants completed the look along with knee high cloth boots and extravagant gauntlets, my father's gauntlets...

Then the ceremony began. I was knelt at the front with other fighters, mainly Sonya, Jax and Johnny Cage, three very talented fighters. I watched as Liu strode over to the front and bowed in front of Raiden. I watched as the raging golden dragon medal was strung around his neck, and after that we all clapped. If my parents were here, they'd have a pep talk with me saying that I should have been the one to be awarded the medal, which I should have been the one to beat up Shang Tsung. Deep inside, I have disgraced them, made myself look like a fool...

After the ceremony, I was leant on a fence staring up at the moon and the stars. I keep thinking of my parents, how they would have reacted to my pitiful display of strength. A horrible gut feeling washed over me as flashes of my parents appeared in my mind. The face of my mother was pinned in my head, the face of my father as well. I buried my face in my hands

"_Why did I fail them? Why? Why? Why?" _The guilty feeling came over me again, and then I felt a warm hand rest on my shoulder. Indeed it was Liu Kang. He had a look of concern on his face and he could see my sadness behind my hands,

"What's wrong?" he asked. I slowly lifted up my head and looked at Liu straight in the eyes, the dark eyes of the friend who was chosen over me,

"I keep thinking of my parents...my ancestors...I have disgraced them...training gone to waste...everything..." I replied sadly. Liu raised his eyebrows then sighed hard,

"I know how you feel, Kung. But your never gonna be alone you know. You have us as family. And you know what? Your parents are not exactly gone..." explained Liu. What was he on about?

"What are you trying to tell me exactly?" I asked, arms crossed,

"They're going to be with you always, in here" he replied, pointing to his heart. I perked up slightly and held my hand against where my heart was...yes I could feel the soft beating of my heart...It was so surreal...even beneath the shirt...

"Your right, I am not alone, I have you lot" I replied, slightly smiling and resting a hand on Liu's shoulder. He nodded and so did I. But suddenly the academy burst into flames and Liu and I fled as fast as we could. Several Tarkatan had destroyed the place and me and Liu had to work together to kill them all. We finally met up with Raiden and crew. Jax had been knocked out by the horde and we were stood there, making sure he was okay. Then Raiden explained that Sonya was taken by Shang Tsung. Jax suggested that we find her and I suggested following the horde but Raiden was not sure about the idea, stating that Shang Tsung would continue to cause war unless we agreed to a new tournament. He then called upon the Elder Gods to accept the terms and a bright light came over the top of us. I stared in awe at this.

Raiden then turned to us with a calm expression on his face.

"Listen Liu Kang, Kung Lao, you need to free your Shaolin masters, ask for their strength. Meet me in the wastelands when you're done" said Raiden before teleporting away with Johnny and Jax. I looked at Liu, confused,

"Shaolin masters?" I questioned him. Liu had his arms crossed and he was smirking,

"Yeah I think we have to...I don't get what he wants us to do anyway" replied Liu

"It would help if we had a bit of guidance, map...something" I sighed hard. This was going to take longer than I thought...

Liu and I switched back into our casual outfits as we tried to figure out where these shaolin masters were. Thankfully we had some pointer as to where they were...the shaolin grave!

We got to the grave but we didn't know what to do next. The grave was just a large polished rock stuck in the ground upon a mountain landscape and I was confused. Liu was stood there, confounded by the atmosphere. By the look on his face, he was aloof,

"Now what? I expected something to happen at least!" moaned Liu sarcastically. I grunted slightly as I touched the stone marker. Nothing happened...

"Tsk, is this some kind of joke" I inquired with my arms on my hips. Suddenly several glowing white souls poured out of the grave and they fluttered like butterflies above our heads. Liu stared in awe as two of the souls swirled around me, as if they expected me. Then something strange happened. The souls appeared to become more human...and recognizable. The first was a man with deep blue pants and a shaggy beard and the other, a woman with long black hair and wearing a kimono dress. My parents were former shaolin's!

"It is okay, my son, do not be startled" said my father. I mentally freaked out but I didn't. Liu stood next to me as he saw my parents too.

"There is not much time left Kung Lao and Liu Kang. Shao Khan shall and will soon take Earthrealm and claim it as his property. You must stop him. Win Mortal Kombat. Do what you must" said my mother.

"How do I do that? I lost against Scorpion, I felt like my training went to waste... I said sadly until mother hushed me and translucent glowing arms embraced me,

"It is okay my son, you did your best and that's all you can do" smiled my mother. Suddenly they started to slowly fade,

"Father, mother!" I called out. They transformed into soul balls,

"My son, use our strength" bellowed my father as both souls shot into me and I felt a calm descend upon the grave as the souls flew back into the stone marker. Liu rubbed his eyes in shock,

"That was...pretty amazing...now we have to find Raiden..." stuttered Liu but he appeared right behind us and teleported us to the wastelands.

There was another fighter as well, a grey clad ninja called Smoke. He wore some sort of dark armour-ish outfit and wisps of smoke came off him. I suppose he was a pretty cool guy, mind you like most Lin Kuei's he did wear the mask. Gosh, Cyrax and Sektor didn't! He stood there as he complained that the assassin, Jade had attacked Kitana. Truth is, Mileena was battered up and mangled on the sand and I can tell Kitana and the Tarkatan creation apart.

It was pure common sense, Mileena was always dressed in a magenta ninja costume and her mask was high upon the cheekbones and had fang patterning on it. What lied beneath the beauty of the mask was a set of huge tarkatan teeth, yellowing and horrible, and her eyes were very snake like, again, yellow and piercing to a fault. She also wielded sai's, a pair of dagger like weapons.

Kitana however was always dressed in skimpy blue attire, with long brown black hair trailing down her back and long eyelashes. She wielded a pair of fans which can close up to become some sort of twin daggers.

The green clad assassin Jade complained that she had attacked Mileena, not Kitana like Smoke thought. So they fought against each other and I cringed as Smoke was beaten up by a girl. After that heartfelt battle, Jade explained everything to Raiden. I was just relaxed and had Johnny and Liu with me as they talked,

"I was with Smoke, I thought she was a bad guy err girl. Guess he turned another one, what's Raiden got that I haven't got?" said Johnny. I cocked my head to the side and nodded upon agreement,

"Godlike power?" asked Liu. I had to add something but what. Finally it hit me,

"A personality that's not at all like sanding paper?" I inquired. A couple of seconds of silence permitted then Johnny topped it all off by saying "Jerks". I chuckled slightly at that remark but of course, who wouldn't laugh at such a comment? As soon as we heard that Kitana was to be executed and that she didn't have much time, me, Johnny and Liu walked over to get more information. Kitana was held captive in Shao Khan's fortress, more specifically the tower. Raiden suggested getting back to the tournament but Liu boldly stated that it was Raiden's fault for turning her against Shao Khan. I hated it when Liu and Raiden argued like that so, being the outspoken pacifist, tried to intervene,

"Lord Raiden, we can free her as others fight in our stead and join you thereafter" I said, as I stood behind Liu, who had _that_ look on him **again**. Raiden allowed us to go in search of Kitana and return once we did. I went off with Liu, saying that we'd meet up with him at the coliseum.

Several minutes later, Liu and I were inside the tower. We searched high and low for Kitana, but still no sign of the blue clad princess. I had the feeling that Liu fancied Kitana, due to him looking her up and down back at the throne room.

"I hope your girlfriend isn't worth Lord Raiden's anger Liu Kang" I teased. Usually I'll have a whale of a time teasing Liu, but the situation we're in now, there's not much time for amusing myself. Kitana's life was at stake here!

"Notice that I'm ignoring you!" he replied smugly. I mentally chuckled as we searched for Kitana. Jade said she was here! Unless she was lying or...

"They must have relocated Kitana" I suggested until the double doors at the ends of the hall swung open, revealing a shokan monstrosity, wearing nothing more than a pink leotard and a black clad ninja,

"We have indeed, we knew someone would come for her" the black ninja told me, and thankfully Liu was dealing with Sheeva, I had Noob to deal with. He was out cold in seconds due to his inability to battle. I then thought he looked like someone I recognized, maybe that was a misconception, a misunderstanding. I heard Liu get beaten up badly by Sheeva. I span around to see him take a few punches, and then he fought back,

"You think you need help? Four arms against two is hardly a fair fight!" I said to Liu, bringing my fists up. Suddenly I heard a monster roar from behind me

"Liu Kang? Grrrrrrrr!" Goro screamed. I knew Liu had defeated Goro before but I wasn't going to let him get pulverized by two shokan monsters at the same time. So I took him on and came out victorious. I demanded where Kitana was, to that he replied that she was held hostage at the coliseum and that she had no doubt been executed. Liu Kang stomped on the shokan's head in complete anger as we set off for the coliseum.

I decided to speak to Liu on the way there. I explained that if Kitana was really executed, then would he chase after someone else. He denied being in love with the princess but I could tell he was lying...as usual.

"I can tell you lying Liu. You love Kitana" I teased. Liu's face switched between emotions, from anger and embarrassment to sorrow and deep regret. Usually, I like to make fun of Liu but was this really the time for joking around? And if it was the time, then was Liu really taking the obvious hint, that he has an untamed attraction to the princess of Outworld? I didn't think he was...

We _eventually _got to the coliseum and Liu spotted Kitana straight away, who was in different attire, the latter was still blue but was composed of mostly some sort of satin blue fabric and silvery metal. Her visage wasn't covered so her full light pink lips were exposed. The loincloth that used to cover her front was now a flowing and trailing skirt at the back and she had detached bell sleeves,

"There's Kitana, I must free her" said Liu dashing over. I followed him and so did, Raiden, who explained that Smoke and Johnny were knocked out and Sonya and Jax were nowhere to be found. I listened in on the conversation and mentally jotted down notes,

"Sonya and Jax are gone and Johnny and Smoke are battered fish, what next, Liu deciding that he wants to free Kitana instead of battling" I thought to myself. My thoughts sprang to life,

"But I am not he who must win" Liu growled as he stormed off to free his 'girlfriend' and deal with the Tarkatans that guarded her. I stood next to Raiden as Shao Khan's voice boomed. *Great Liu, you've really driven Raiden nuts now! And Shao Khan's loving the torture*

"Raiden put forth a worthy champion, if you can" said Shao Khan, his menacing red eyes, snake like, stared at the former Elder God. I decided to put myself forward but then retracted, knowing that Raiden would stop me from entering anyway, given I had been cooked to a crisp by Scorpion the last time I attempted to battle. We exchanged glances and deep inside I was actually nervous. My stomach wrenched and my heart beat fast. What was Raiden thinking? Deep in those white eyes, I knew he was thinking of something. Then he turned to me, and I was in deep thought, rolling my eyes and thinking to myself,

"Perhaps you are meant to be the victor" said Raiden. I was actually shocked by that remark but I wanted to use the power of my mother and father's souls. So, with courage sinking into my heart, I proudly took my position at the centre of the arena,

"You will face Shang Tsung and Quan Chi" boomed Shao Khan. The two sorcerers took their positions on the other side. One thing went through my head,

"Two against one is so not fair!" My thoughts screamed out.

"No Earthrealm boy is going to stop this deadly alliance" said Quan Chi, his demonic eyes peering into my own. Shang Tsung got into his battle stance and so did I. The battle begun, I launched my hat and did a few dive kicks. I blocked Quan Chi's trance move and avoided having my soul stolen by Shang Tsung and used against me. I managed to defeat them both. To be honest I was quite happy with that as I stood there, a smile creeping to my face,

"It is done" I simply said, my hand on my hips,

"Not yet Kung Lao...not nearly so" replied Shang Tsung as got up and limped to the side of the arena. On cue the gate of the arena opened and a burly monster stormed in. It was a shokan but of a different lineage, with orange patches of fur upon its body and claws instead of hands. It appeared to have a feline quality to it and its body was adorned with several long tiger stripes. I was mentally frightened by this beast and my feet were pinned mentally to the floor. I was scared but I was going to fight this creature, no matter what happens,

"I will eat your heart" roared the beast and I started to fight. This monster was far more powerful than Goro; no wait...three times more powerful. It could breathe fire and do a jump stomp much like Sheeva can except it'll drag you across the floor. I wasn't giving up and mustered all the energy I could and delivered several long combos to its face, body and legs. I then did a few chops to the neck before the burly beast known as Kintaro, fell out of complete exhaustion.

"Hahaha" I chuckled slightly but the crowd weren't having any of it. They booed and my ears rang with the sound of their cries. I decided to impress them with a few bows and change the booing to cheering, for once.

I took of my razor sharp hat and bowed low to the crowd and to Raiden, who had a look of thunder on his face. I was on the edge of glory so I kept bowing,

"You see Raiden, Earthrealm is free..." I began before I felt a large hand cover my mouth and another upon my neck, I felt a cracking sound and then I crashed to the floor...dead, lifeless with no chances of waking up...

After a while I felt strange I suppose...I opened my eyes to see myself in a clearing like area with cliffs and a sun setting sky. There as a lot of dull greenery and as I slowly got up, I realised where I was. It was a sort of soul area, where souls go when they're used for something. I was determined to get out of here.

"Why am I here? Set me free from this prison, I will do anything!" I shouted to the heavens, hoping that the Elder Gods would here my pathetic attempt at escaping this hell. I then noticed that several other people were here...those I recognized...Kitana, Jade, Smoke, Jax, Nightwolf, Stryker, Kabal, Cyber Subzero, Sindel...they were all here...then one by one they held their heads in pain as they disappeared,

"Why is all this happening?" I shouted. Then I felt it...the pain. I clutched my head in pain as I fell to my knees and then everything went black...

Next thing I knew, I appeared with all the other fighters in front of Raiden in the depths of hell. Hell as you might know is a place of torture and suffering. Lakes of boiling hot lava flowed and moans of evil souls were distinguishable to prying ears. What did this mean? Were we the property of someone else? Alas that theory was correct, my soul, along with all the others, the ones who bravely fought, belonged to Quan Chi as payment by Shao Khan for his so called allegiance to the Netherrealm's...and here I was as one of his undead slaves. I mentally looked myself over. I looked hideous, talk about ugly and not attractive! My once flawless toned skin was now cracked, grey and horrible and my eyes...my eyes...they were white, glowing and rather scary. Is this what slaves look like when they are resurrected? My face locked into a face of pain and torture, anger and anguish. Was this the end for me as a mind controlled slave with no emotion, just pain and anguish and nothing more? And then he said it...Quan Chi sent us to fight against the almighty powerful Raiden. I cringed as Jax was knocked clean out along with Stryker and Kabal. Raiden didn't look tired either, must be an advantage for being a thunder God...then he called the next three of us to try and kill the thunder God...and I was one of them *sigh*. I watched as Kitana mocked Raiden for trapping us down here and getting knocked out. I cringed as Nightwolf, the spiritual shaman was knocked out as well...and it was my turn to try and kill Raiden...what was I thinking? I felt like my body was controlled, every limb I could not move, I was mindless, without thoughts or more specifically emotion or pain. I watched myself try and defeat Raiden, my hat was thrown around and the attempts to teleport were fruitless. It only took an electrified ball of energy to knock me out and then it all went black...

I was in the soul area yet again. I slowly woke up to see that the area had changed. The grass which was dull in colour had brightened up and the moss covered stone monuments were gone. I slowly blinked my eyes and rose off the ground to view my surroundings. I knew that my soul would be used again...sometime...I then saw two soul balls next to me and they both became human. My mother and father...

"It is okay my son, your free" said my mother. I nodded in agreement.

"This is all thanks to Raiden. He saved Earthrealm" added my father. It was over...until the next time...


End file.
